High blood pressure during pregnancy is not uncommon. When is blood pressure so high that you need to do something about it? Can blood pressure be lowered with garlic? How much garlic helps? What is there to the warning: “Be careful with garlic in pregnancy!”?

Garlic As A Miracle Cure

The ancient Egyptians used garlic as a remedy against lice and intestinal parasites. What is it and especially what is in it, in this miracle bulb?

Allium sativum belongs to the subfamily of the allium family (Allioideae). Other family members are onions, chives, leeks, or wild garlic. Garlic is now grown all over the world. It is used everywhere for culinary purposes and as a medicinal plant. Nowadays, the effect of garlic on blood pressure is particularly well known. By far the largest producer of garlic in China, with over 22 million tons per year.

The Ingredients Of Garlic

What makes this bulbous plant a remedy? What is the effect of garlic on blood pressure?

A look at the ingredients:

• 65 percent water.
• 30 g carbohydrates of which about 2 g fiber / per 100 g.
• 6 g protein / on 100 g.
• Vitamins (especially A, B vitamins, C, E, H).
• Minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium).
• Trace elements (iron, copper, selenium, iodine, germanium).
• Secondary plant substances.

Since garlic cloves are not usually consumed by the dozen, the small amounts of vitamins and minerals can be neglected. Here, other vegetables can do much more. Much more important are its secondary plant compounds.

Among these, the sulfur-containing compounds from garlic have a particularly strong effect on blood pressure. The variety of plant compounds, the special combination, allows the body to absorb the vitamins, minerals, and trace elements easily and quickly.

Sulfur Compounds

These are the most valuable ingredients to lower blood pressure with garlic. Alliin is an amino acid that is found in high concentrations in garlic bulbs. Alliin is odorless and is activated only by the enzyme alliinase. Now it is called allicin and is available with its well-known odor and its mainly antimicrobial effect.

This transformation takes place only through cell destruction (cutting, rubbing, pressing). A second substance is formed from allicin when it is heated, ajoene. This substance is currently the subject of much research. Cautiously, it is already said to have an antithrombotic (blood-thinning) and cancer-protective effect.

Other Substances

Here one meets in the literature many designations, which sound partly quite adventurous. So-called scordinne have a blood-thinning effect by inhibiting the accumulation of thrombocytes (blood platelets). This improves blood flow and helps lower blood pressure.

Adenosine (also a component of human DNA) is present in essential oils. It also has a positive effect on blood circulation. In addition, there are other substances from the group of flavonoids, saponins, and enzymes, which are also said to improve the blood count.

This by no means covers all the compounds of the garlic plant and their effects on health. Let alone that their effect can be proven by studies. The studies to date show many promising approaches.

But it already leads to the assumption that the isolated substances cannot approach the effect of the natural garlic plant. Such a rich combination of ingredients cannot be replicated in the laboratory.

Interesting for classification: It is assumed that only a quarter of all existing secondary plant substances are even known. This is still a benevolent estimate.

H3 Effects and applications of garlic.

Many research results and studies so far give indications of possible positive effects on health. Among them is evidence that garlic can lower blood pressure. Studies with isolated ingredients in the laboratory always give a different result than the natural garlic on the individual.

Garlic Has These Properties

• Blood thinning
• Blood lipid lowering
• Antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal
• Prevent deposits in the vessels
• Against free radicals, protecting against cancer

Garlic Against Blood Pressure? The Miracle Tuber Can Also Help With These Diseases

• Regulation of blood pressure, against high blood pressure.
• Heart health, cardiovascular diseases.
• Arteriosclerosis.
• Disorders of lipid metabolism.
• Protection against infectious diseases (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites).
• Intestinal health.
• Colds, infections without fever.
• Detoxification, liver health.
• Accompanying cancer therapy; anti-cancer, -protective (colon, stomach, lung, breast).

Lowering Blood Pressure With Garlic – Is It Possible?

To what extent can garlic lower blood pressure? Allicin is the main active ingredient. However, allicin is not solely responsible for the lowering effect on high blood pressure. Overall, garlic has a significant effect on blood pressure through two mechanisms.

• The blood vessels relax.
• The flow properties of the blood are improved (platelet aggregation inhibition, lipid lowering).

Many studies confirm and refute these effects. Studies with negative results were mostly conducted with isolated substances. Studies with natural garlic are few. This is understandable, because for these studies a long, often over a long time, many people must be observed.

High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy – Normal Or Dangerous?

How does high blood pressure occur during pregnancy? A distinction is made here: Are you already at risk of high blood pressure before pregnancy or has your blood pressure only risen during pregnancy? If you are already a high blood pressure patient, you are already under close medical observation.

Both in terms of taking medication during pregnancy, as well as for advice on supportive measures. But what happens when high blood pressure occurs for the first time during pregnancy?

High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy? Here’s What You Need To Do

Normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. In pregnant women, blood pressure can be slightly higher, at 135/85 mmHg. About one in ten pregnant women develop higher blood pressure beyond that. “mmHg” is short for millimeters of mercury, a unit of pressure for the systolic value (the heart muscle is tense), and the diastolic value (the heart muscle is relaxed).

Pregnancy-related hypertension is said to occur when blood pressure values are pathologically elevated from 140/90 mmHg. If there is an increase in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy, together with increased excretion of proteins in the urine, medicine refers to this as preeclampsia.

It occurs in about five percent of pregnancies. It is slightly more common in pregnancies after the age of 35. Only very rarely does preeclampsia result in complications with serious and life-threatening situations.

But just knowing about the possibility is reason enough for you to keep an eye on your blood pressure during pregnancy. Which, of course, is guaranteed by regular check-ups.

In medicine, a distinction is made between four types of high blood pressure in pregnancy:

• Chronic hypertension (chronic high blood pressure already before pregnancy).
• Preeclampsia (high blood pressure from around the 20th week due to proteinuria).
• Eclampsia (chronic hypertension with preeclampsia during pregnancy).
• Gestational hypertension (hypertension without proteinuria, in German: Bluthochdruck ohne erhöhte Bluteiweiße im Urin).

Which Antihypertensives For Pregnant Women

Slightly elevated blood pressure within the normal range mentioned above is of no further concern. Regular exercise and relaxation exercises can help keep blood pressure stable. In case of a noticeable increase in the last half of the pregnancy period, be vigilant and inform your doctor about it.

Do not try to keep blood pressure in check on your own, even with natural remedies such as garlic. After all, there is a risk of developing preeclampsia with its possible risks. In other words, you should not get any advice from the Internet about blood pressure-lowering drugs during pregnancy. You should seek individual medical advice.

If you already had high blood pressure before your pregnancy, close consultation with your doctor is necessary regarding the therapy during pregnancy.
Maybe you have been keeping your blood pressure in check with garlic? And now you are unsure whether you can keep it up during pregnancy?

Is Garlic Harmful For Blood Pressure During Pregnancy?

There are certain contraindications or hypersensitivities to this healthy tuber. Medically, garlic preparations (capsules, powder, etc.) are warned against in case of:

• Hypersensitivity.
• Blood clotting disorders such as bleeding tendency.
• Gastrointestinal disorders.
• Before operations (discontinue 14 days before).
• Children under 18 (but only based on a very thin experience base).

If consumption of garlic goes beyond a natural level of one to three cloves in meals, the same should apply to garlic preparations.

Within normal limits, garlic consumption is safe for pregnant women and also for the child. As is well known, it is always the dose that makes the poison. There are two exceptions that you as a garlic fan might want to consider:

• Because of increased bleeding tendency, it is better not to consume larger quantities of garlic two weeks before birth
• If you are breastfeeding, it may be better not to eat garlic because the taste passes into your breast milk.

Under normal circumstances, a few cloves of garlic in food will bring culinary and health benefits rather than harm you and the child. Both during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

However, it is not a good idea to start trying to lower your blood pressure with garlic, especially during pregnancy. Normal, Central European consumption quantities will also not be sufficient to lower blood pressure, if it is pathologically elevated, to a therapeutically necessary degree with garlic alone.